Cutting knife slot closing plate



April F. w. SEYBOLD 2,467,537

CUTTING KNIFE SLOT CLOSING PLATE Filed June 4; 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ADJus TA BLE SECTION 0 .16 GP 51.07. CLOSING PLATE BACK GAUGE 44 41 5 14a Fl 6. 2. I'NVENTOR FEEDER/CK m SEYBOLD ATTORN EYS Patented Apr. 19, 1949 CUTTIN G KNIFESLOT"CLOSINGPIJATE Erederick Wt seyb ld; Westfield, N. J a sig nor to,E...,B..Laws.on ,Qommnni Incl; .N ewXork, N112",

atoorppration ofiNew York.

Application-lanai; 1947, Serial No. 752,541

6i'Cl'aims; v (Cl. .164+-5,4

, 1 :My presentinvention; ment oye theinyentionzshownelntm-y application. Serial No. 673,289 filed May 31,-, 1:946; and; relates partieu larlmtotthe, construction oft-ea slot closin plate -f0r v a; cutting; kni-f eetwhich; plateeisTso-i ar: ranged that; itewillfmaintainthe, slot :closed irre: specti-vea of theyamount-:obwear; on others :adjust mentoi the knife-:itself during use; thereof QInthe: Operation 1 ofmcutting, knives; otwthe so: called g uillotineetyperas exemplified by my. aboyementioned: pp i ation, .the knifepwhichcuts a stack: Ofi sheets ecomestdown:;n0t\,on1y with, a downward movementbu-ta, also ,with, a .sw .p ing lateral-movement; usually m ving-rtowardtthe-l f w s-downwardswin s Fen this.--lreason;; theeknife and-blade ,rides in ga ipair ofelslots; on opposite; sidesrofstheflwork table which guide the knifetbladeg andwat the same time ipermitmthe knifeblade, and bar" to swing laterally during the a downward stroke.

The lateral swingof the;kr 1.ife,loar, 1uring the downward, stroke has thesaefieet of; forcing-the paper stack: ass a, wholefl against. the, left-hand gauge6 and, hence against the slot;- traversed by theknife blade.-

Of. course, the paperstackislplaced,v against the left-hand; gauge-g initially, but -the v. pressure of, the. knife bladelas it swings laterally -,ten ds.\.to drivev the paper stackl verytightly againsththe left-hand gauge; Trimmings, or; small-lunarrow piles such ,as,small;labels.tend,.,therefore; to be driven .into the slot ,on, the -1eft. side in whichjthe knife bar rides.

Where; a -.narrow.. cut ,is ;taken, the operation of the knife bar in this manner,tends tolsweep .or. p u1l.,all of thenarrowstrips seyeredinto the. knife slot. For this reason, it haslbecomeldesirable to closethet slot in suchlmanner that thelclosur may automaticallytbe opened. by," the. descent of the. knife blade but, nevertheless, so that. the closure-member also automatically closes-,up the slot at, every nos tion 10f itheknifeiblade.

s, empts thaveb'eeni made :to; utilizegthe rotatable closureplates-which:are sWlmg iantsof the wayon ,the descent of thet'knifeeblade oreslide able A closure plates which: are..--p 1.shed. down; on the descent of the ,knife. blade;and.;,-ri tun;once. morewhenthe knifewbladey'rises,

It is, possible to makesuch.closure.;.plates either. swinging; or. slidingasoythat they will; operate properly for;one adjustmentipfhthe knifebar and for; one exact widths of; blade." Howeven, as the knifecontinuesrinluse utheebladejs ,zcgntinueusly sharpened and; .resharpfinedr andmtherefore be-.

eom slshortenis;jprimarilmantimll Asa mattereof .lfaettaft rrit has been sh tened byisharpeningtittmay bee-adjusted to anlentirely new; position on the; kni;f e, bar, =in most hcases; Where. it is again relatively ,wide ,or. projects rela:

., tively far below the knifebar,

A E primary 1 Object; .ofitmyg. present..invention is tot provide therefore, an\ adjustable. slot .closing plate A which may; bet automatically adjusted .for any adj istment ,oft the knife Joarv andvfor any; relative :Width.Df knife bladetso that. .the slot. wil1. always becompletely c1osed. This is, extremelyimportantsincef even a r latively. very. narrow aperltnre-atathe. upp erwend of theaslotadjacent the knife blade l:asethe knife bladewears willpermit one e 011, two, tore more str,ips;ttoib'e, ,forced into the slotandthese strips will damfielthewtop of the; paper ileinprocessof be ne cvuta -A, ,furthen object oi.;my invention is thepro: vision oftsimplifiedioperatinameans,for; the slot closure plateiso arranged .that it. wil1,,a utom atilly.foilowltheloperation .of the ,knife ,barin both directions-s Anotherobj ectuoi mytinye'ntiontis the provision, of; simplifiedtadjnsting elements sfor-my novel slot closing plate.

. The foregoing, and many. other {obj ects of, my inventie'n will; beeome ..apnanent ,in the following description and .drawingsin, which:

,. Eigurelilsa nartialview.inaperspective ofj'my novel slot closing platef ,in; conjunction with; a fragmentary. view of ,theknife bar anclknife with Whichsit isto. cooperate.

Figure. 2,..is avcross seetional 1view through my noyelfslotclosin 'plateancl a portiouof 'thekn'ife frame, said; seetioriubeing' taken on 1iIle'j22;.Of Figure 1.

Eigureu 3v is t a. side View partly. in cross-section oflmy noyel'sloticlosing plate.

Figure, 411s atop View of my, novel "slot: closing Figure 5" is a cross-sectional'view,takerron line 5-,5..of,Eig 1 lre 3,

j Elgureifil is a ,cross-see'tional' vi'ew taken online be a fixed guide in each of the slots and guide I2 may be adjustable by the wedge I9 which may be moved in and out by the adjusting screw-20 also as described in my aforesaid prior application. The left side guide is formed by portion [4a of frame I4 back of slot I6, the slot closing plate 25 and the additional side gauge member 2| forward of the slot. The paper to be cut rests of course on table 22, the slot closing plate is guided and positioned for vertical sliding movement by guide 23 in front gauge 2| which guide cooperates with the vertical member 21 secured to the slot closing plate 25. The rear end of the slot closing plate is guided by guide 26 in slot I6 which guide however starts below the level of table 22 and does not interfere with the movement of the knife.

As previously pointed out, the knife bar III and its associated blade I I not only have a downward movement but also have a movement toward the left so that the knife blade acts as a laterally swinging guillotine. This movement toward the left tends to drive scraps of paper and especially narrow strips when they are severed by the knife bar into the left-hand slot I6.

For this reason, a slot closing plate is required. Various types of slot closing plates have been used. But the difliculty has arisen that as the knife blade II is continuously sharpened, it varies its relative width with respect to the knife bar Ill so that at first a small gap appears between the slot closing plate and the knife blade and as the blade is shortened by further continuous sharpening, the gap widens suificiently to permit relatively large quantities of paper to be cumulatively jammed into the slot I6.

For this purpose and in order to obviate this difliculty, my invention contemplates an adjustable slot closing plate 25 having a main body which slides up and down in the slot and which, with the additional elements below described, completely fills the slot at all times so that paper particles and other material can not be jammed into the slot despite the lateral movement of the knife bar III and the blade I I.

The main body of the slot closing plate 25 has a vertical member 21 secured thereto in any suitable manner as by the rivets 28, the said vertical element 21 extending up to just above the top a surface of the knife bar ID.

The vertical member 21 thus comprises a rigid link extending above the main body of the slot closing plate 25 and carries at its upper end a pin 29 on which is mounted the roller 30 which I roller 30 extends above the top surface 3| of the knife bar I0.

As the knife bar I and blade I I descends, they carry the slot closing plate 25 down with them; and as they rise, the upper surface 3I of the knife bar I0 pulls up the roller 30, pulling up the slot closing plate 25.

The roller 30 rolls on the top surface 3| of the knife bar I0 so that the slot closing plate 25 may have no lateral movement while the knife bar I0 moves laterally as well as downwardly.

The slot closing plate has a rearward extension 35 which is vertically adjustable. The upper end 36 of the rearward extension 35 is adapted to register with the lower surface of the knife blade I I, while the upper surfaces 31 and 3B of the main body 26 of the slot closing plate are adapted to register with the lower surface of the knife bar Ill.

The body body 25 of the slot closing plate is vertically slotted and undercut at 40 to provide a recess in which the vertical lug H of the adjustable member 35 may slide. The upper surface 38 of the main body 26 of the slot closing plate is provided with an opening 42 having the counterbore 43 to receive the bolt 44 having the head 45, the head 45 being recessed in the counterbore 43.

The upper surface of the lug M of the adjustable member 35 is provided with the vertically tapped opening 5I in which the lower end of the bolt 44 is threaded. When the bolt 44 is rotated by means of a socket wrench engaged in socket 53 thereof, the vertically adjustable member 35 and its lug 4I are raised or lowered in accordance with the sense of rotation.

The adjustment is automatically locked in position by the spring biased lug 55, the point of which is pushed against the grooves 56 in the head 45 of the bolt by the compression spring 51. The locking lug and spring 51 are mounted in the lateral recess 50 which communicates with the counterbore 43 and thereby permits the looking lug 55 to be effective.

Thus, as the knife blade II is continuously sharpened and reduced in width so that it projects to a lesser degree from the lower end of the knife bar I0, the rotation of the bolt 44 raises the adjustable element 35 so that the upper end 36 thereof is closely in engagement with the lower end of the knife blade II. Every time the blade II is sharpened and thus reduced in its vertical dimension, the adjustment may be made to insure closing of the knife slot.

When the blade II is finally replaced by a longer blade, then the adjustment is made to lower the adjustable member 35 so that the upper end 36 thereof is in close engagement with the lower end of the blade.

The upper surface of the slot closing plate is made accessible in any suitable manner.

Thus the pin 29 for roller 30 is mounted in vertical bracket I0 having the horizontal flange II resting on lug I2 secured to the top of extension 21. Pin I5 keyed to flange II passes through an opening in lug I2 and furnishes a rotatable pivot for bracket I0 to rotate the roller out of engagement with top 3I of knife bar III. Clamping nut TI is used to lock pin I5 and hence roller 30 in position. Thus, when it is necessary to adjust the blade or the slot closing plate, the nut 11 is loosened and roller 30 is rotated to the dotted line position of Figure 1. The slot closing plate may then be dropped and the top is accessible for adjustment. When adjustment is completed, the roller 30 is then rotated back over the top 3| of knife bar I0 to connect plate 25 with the knife bar once more.

By this means, therefore, a simplified adjustable slot closing plate is provided which will be universally adaptable over the entire range of use of the knife and which will automatically be adaptable to the closing of the slot irrespective of the vertical dimension of the blade.

In Figures 7 and 8 I have shown a slight modi fication in which slot closing plate I25 having extension I2'I attached thereto by rivets I28 has a vertically adjustable extension I35 with a lug I4I riding in recess I40 of plate I25. Compression spring in recess I40 bears between the bottom of lug MI and the bottom ledge 8I of the recess I40. Bolt I44 in tapped opening I42 rides up and down when its head I45 in counterbore I43 is rotated. The bottom end of bolt I44 bears against the top 83 of lug I4I to push it down and hence push down adjustable extension I35 against the anon-ea? compression of-spring- 8ll-fwhen bblt l d'l is raised'f direction andisraised by spring 813 when" belt I 44 turned inlthe opposite. direction:

Irr-the foregoing f-have described my invention solely in connection with specific preferred embodiments thereof "Sincem'any variations and modifications of my invention will now be obvious to those skilled in the art, I prefer to be bound not by the specific disclosure herein contained but only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a cutting machine having a frame, a work table and a vertically reciprocating knife bar, said knife oar having also a lateral component of motion and moving in vertical slots in said frame, said knife bar carrying a blade extending below said knife bar, the degree to which said blade extends below the knife bar varying during L the use of the machine; a slot closing plate mounted to close the slot toward which. the knife bar moves laterally as it descends and closing the slot from the knife bar and blade to the work table; said plate moving up and down in said slot as the knife bar reciprocates vertically and maintaining the slot closed in every position of the knife bar; a portion of the upper end of the plate engaging the lower end of the knife bar;

and another portion of the upper end of the plate i engaging the blade; the blade engaging portion being vertically adjustable in accordance with the degree to which the blade extends beneath the knife bar.

2. In a cutting machine having a frame, a work table and a vertically reciprocating knife bar, said knife bar having also a lateral component of motion and moving in vertical slots in said frame, said knife bar carrying a blade extending below said knife bar, the degree to which said blade extends below the knife bar varying during the use of the machine; a slot closing plate mounted to close the slot toward which the knife bar moves laterally as it descends and closing the slot from the knife bar and blade to the work table; said plate moving up and down in said slot as the knife bar reciprocates vertically and maintaining the slot closed in every position of the knife bar; a portion of the upper end of the plate engaging the lower end of the knife bar; and another portion of the upper end'of the plate engaging the blade; the blade engaging portion being slidably mounted with respect to the knife bar engaging portion and being vertically adjustable with respect thereto.

3. In a cutting machine having a frame, a work table and a vertically reciprocating knife bar, said knife bar having also a lateral component of motion and moving in vertical slots in said frame, said knife bar carrying a blade extending below said knife bar, the degree to which said blade extends below the knife bar varying during the use of the machine; a slot closing plate mounted to close the slot toward which the knife bar moves laterally as it descends and closing the slot from the knife bar and blade to the work table; said plate moving up and down in said slot as the knife bar reciprocates vertically and maintaining the slot closed in every position of the knife bar; a portion of the upper end of the plate engaging the lower end of the knife bar; and another portion of the upper end of the plate engaging the blade, the blade engaging portion being slidably mounted with respect to the knife bar engaging portion and being vertically adjustable' withrespectthereto; 'meansj for adj ustin g said blade engaging portion vertically with;

respectto"the-knife bar engaging portion in ac cordancewith-the degreeto which the blade extendsbeneaththe-knife.

4E In' a cutting-machine having a-irame, a worktable and a vertically reciprocating knife bar; said? knifebar having also a lateral component of -motion and moving in' verticalslots" said" frame, said knife bar carrying a blade extending below said knife bar, the degree to which said blade extends below the knife bar varying during the use of the machine; a slot closing plate mounted to close the slot toward which the knife bar moves laterally as it descends and closing the slot from the knife bar and blade to the work table; said plate moving up and down in said slot as the knife bar reciprocates vertically and maintaining the slot closed in every position of the knife bar; a portion of the upper end of the plate engaging the lower end of the knife bar; and another portion of the upper end of the plate engaging the blade, the blade engaging portion being slidably mounted with respect to the knife bar engaging portion and being vertically adjustable with respect thereto; means for adjusting said blade engaging portion vertically with respect to the knife bar engaging portion in accordance with the degree to which the blade extends beneath the knife, said means comprising a screw rotatably mounted in said knife bar engaging portion of the plate and in threaded engagement with the blade engaging portion of the plate.

5. In a cutting machine having a, frame, a work table and a vertically reciprocating knife bar, said knife bar having also a lateral component of motion and moving in vertical slots in said frame, said knife bar carrying a blade extending below said knife bar, the degree to which said blade extends below the knife bar varying during the use of the machine; a slot closing plate mounted to close the slot toward which the knife bar moves laterally as it descends and closing the slot from the knife bar and blade to the work table; said plate moving up and down in said slot as the knife bar reciprocates vertically and maintaining the slot closed in every position of the knife bar; a portion of the upper end of the plate engaging the lower end of the knife bar; and another portion of the upper end of the plate engaging the blade, the blade engaging portion being slidably mounted with respect to the knife bar engaging portion and being vertically adjustable with respect thereto; means for adjusting said blade engaging portion vertically with respect to the knife bar engaging portion in accordance with the degree to which the blade extends beneath the knife, said means comprising a screw rotatably mounted in said knife bar engaging portion of the plate and in threaded engagement with the blad engaging portion of the plate and means for locking the screw in adjusted position.

6. In a cutting machine having a frame, a work table and a vertically reciprocating knife bar, said knife bar having also a lateral component of motion and moving in vertical slots in said frame, said knife bar carrying a blade extending below said knife bar, the degree to which said blade extends below the knife bar varying during the use of the machine; a slot closing plate mounted to close the slot toward which the knife bar moves laterally as it descends and closing the slot from the knife bar and blade to mama 8 extends beneath the knife bar and an additional extension from said knife bar engaging portion of the plate connected to another portion of the knife bar for vertical reciprocation of the plate 5 by the knife bar.

FREDERICK W. SEYBOLD.

No references cited.

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